COLUMBUS, Ohio — A new Central Ohio company will develop an aerosol-based drug delivery system that researchers think could supplant intravenous delivery for some medications.
Optivair LLC will use research on electrohydrodynamic technology (EHD) developed from the the non-profit research giant Battelle. EHD converts electrical energy into kinetic energy to more efficiently and evenly deposit drugs throughout patients’ lungs.
The Incubation Factory, a market accelerator that develops and grows businesses in both the technology and life-science sectors, created Optivair and holds the license for the Battelle technology, known as Opt-EFX.
Droplets from the device remain the same size, are small enough to avoid languishing in the mouth and large enough not to be expelled by breathing, said Kevin Taylor, a principal at The Incubation Factory. The system is more efficient approach than dry-powder inhalers commonly used to treat asthma, he said.
Michael Triplett, Battelle’s director of commercialization, also said preliminary research shows it can work better than an IV for some medications. The device also gets deep lung penetration, which can help people with pulmonary problems, Triplett said.
Taylor said the company is considering the device for pain management and hormone-replacement therapy. “If you can have a device that delivers pharmaceutical compounds, gets rapid uptake by the body and gets into the bloodstream rapidly you’ll have a rapid impact on the market,” Taylor said.
Opt-EFX has been through a handful of Phase 1 clinical trials. Optivair plans design testing, followed by work with the pharmaceutical industry to select drugs to use with the device, after which it will start clinical trials. This process should take a few years, Taylor said.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
The Incubation Factory will manage Optivair as it recruits a board of advisors and searches for a management team. It is considering several financing options, Taylor said.
The Incubation Factory’s drug-commercialization agreement follows an earlier agreement with Battelle to use Opt-EFX in other markets including consumer home fragrances, according to a Battelle release. It is Battelle’s first health care licensing of the year.
[Front-page photo courtesy of Flickr user Daquella Manera]
